Drink to your health

 I've just started drinking wine.  I don't know anything about it - I only know what I like.  Right now I am IN LOVE with Cupcake Vineyards.  They make not too sweet red wines in tasty flavors like Red Velvet Cake!  YUM!

First Plants

Okay, so it's not as exciting as first fruits, but it is still pretty exciting.  Caleb has our first plant of the season.  He went to the store with my mom and picked the saddest, droopiest tomato plant I have ever seen.  He's 4, so she let him.  It reminds me of when Charlie Brown chose that wilted little Christmas tree.  He loves it!  It is still in a little planter in the window, but he looks at it every day and encourages it to grow.

Next weekend we are going to find a nice place to plant it and then our garden will offically be started!  Somebody tell all that Spring snow that we have been getting to back off!

An extra end table never hurt anybody

Guest post written by Sarah Long

I'm completely convinced that you're never finished decorating a room. There's always a lamp shade or a footstool that you can switch out for another that fits in with the decor just a little better. I think that many people would agree with me in that regard. I'm sure it also helps that I browse online shopping sites all the time too and find things that would be perfect for my home.

A few nights ago I found this amazing end table when I was online browsing for different home goods. I also found the website Sears Home Improvement and after looking through it some, talked myself into some new kitchen cabinets. They're something that are actually practical and not just a little extra something that I want to add to a room because I like it. We really could use some nicer looking kitchen cabinets.

I was so glad once the end table finally got shipped to my home and it fit in exactly how I imagined it would in my living room. Next are the kitchen cabinets.

Almost Time

Well, it's just about that time again.  For me, anyway.  It's usually about the time that the tulips start peeking out from the flower bed floor that I start to think about gardening.  Those first hints of green that seem to just happen overnight get my wheels turning and I think the same thing for the last few years now...

"Wow, last year was really horrible... but I really would like to try again."

And that's how it happens every year since the first year. 
This year I am living with my mother and that should prove to be advantageous for my gardening.  She is a great support when it comes to growing things of all kinds (including plants and children).  Not only will she be available to offer good advise, but she can also keep an eye on my veggies while I am at work and maybe even do a little weeding for me!
Caleb has decided to plant come cucumbers this year because he enjoyed eating them straight from the garden last year.  I would like to try growing some beans again - I failed miserably last year.  And to think the package even said "Absolutely Guaranteed To Grow!" Just like seamonkeys.  If something is absolutely guaranteed to grow... well, I guess it grew a little, but it was nothing near flourishing. 
My boyfriend, Travis, insists that he loves gardening.  So, I guess we are about to find out. He wants to plant the beans so he can pickle them... I should point out that neither of us know how to pick anything except for eggs!  My sister has a friend who is great at pickling things, so we may be paying her a visit this Summer.
Over all, I think this growing season is going to be a good one.

I Want a Pool, Too...

Last September I went to visit my family in Mississippi. I make the 2,500 mile trip at least once a year, but the most recent trip was especially important to me.  This was the first time that my little son was old enough to fly with me.  I was so excited to bring him, even more so after he commented that the sun was "broken" here in the Pacific Northwest.  He was excited to go because my uncle, who we were staying with, had planned a huge pool party to celebrate our arrival!

The pool party was the day after our arrival since we got in to town late in the afternoon.  Party or no party, there was no keeping Caleb out of that pool!  He's been taking swimming lessons in an indoor pool around our home town, so he was feeling pretty confident.  It was so warm out, but there had been a rain recently that cooled down the water in the pool.  That meant that jumping in was cool and refreshing!

The next day was the pool party and we had a blast!  There were kids and dogs and family and friends all over the place!  My uncle had a smoker and 3 BBQs going at once!  There were a ton of pool accessories and toys to mess around with. The coolest one was a huge inflatable slide that you put on the deck edge of the pool! I was able to have peace of mind about all of the kids in the yard because my uncle had just gotten a nice fence from his pool supply company to keep the kids and the dogs out if no one was there to watch them around the water.  We were in and out of the pool all day until well after the sun went down and the kids went to bed!

Reminiscing about all of that makes me want a pool so bad!  Caleb has been asking for one as well.  He had never seen someone with a pool at their house before.  Now that he knows such a thing exists he definitely has it on his wish list.

Become for Home and Garden

 I just learned about this site for home and garden decor and accessories called Become.com  While Become.com has all kinds of great items at discount prices - like computers, jewelry, and clothing - what stands out the most to me are the home items.  You can get such great deals on furniture and decorations!

My grandma comes to visit me every summer and I am counting down the days (15 to go!) until she gets here.  Each year I try to turn my spare room, which is currently an overflow closet/storage space, into a somewhat descent guest room.  I have never had the funds to spiff it up with real furniture, and even if I did it isn't a guest room all year round.  I try to make it as inviting as possible, but I always feel like it is missing something.  When I was checking out Become.com tonight, I saw that they have great deals on air mattress frames!

I don't think I would make grandma sleep on an air mattress, but my Aunt is flying up here with her this year and she is staying with me for about 2 weeks.  An air mattress would be perfect for her!  I can set it up temporarily and then take it down when she heads home and make more space in grandma's room.  Grandma needs a different kind of bed.  Something that is fit for the queen she is!

I don't think the room is quite big enough for a four poster bed, but I did absolutely fall in love LOVE LOVE with this Palm Tree Bedding!  My friend Christy has her guest room decorated in palm trees and it looks so great!  It is cute, but not overly feminine for her male guests.  It has personality, but it is still neutral in color, so she can change her accents around a bit when the seasons change to keep the room up to date.  I think I might copy her tasteful style and decorate the guest room in palm trees as well.

Yup, with only 2 weeks before grandma gets here, I am thinking about putting together a real guest room.  She lives all the way in Mississippi and the trip is about 8 hours of fly time, not including the layovers and such.  There isn't a direct flight on any airline from here to there and that's why my Aunt has to come with her. Soon, she might not be able to fly anymore and I never know which year might be the last year that she gets to spend the Summer with me here. After all grandma has done for me, giving her a comfortable place to stay in my home is the very least that I can do.

Beauty in Everything

 Beauty in Everything

Thanks to Roman May

I can't imagine a day without art. I feel so strongly about seeing the beauty in every part of life, and it's unimaginable to me that some people spend their entire working lives in a cubicle. I'm so glad they do, because I couldn't do it. A lot of my time is spent in my studio creating art where I use all kinds of things to find inspiration. For example, a simple CLICK on my wireless Internet takes me to photos or images that I may want to replicate. Or, if on board with that, I can just walk outside and take a look at all things nature made to find some inspiration. The problem is not that there aren't enough things to inspire me, it's really that there are too many! I love my Outlook on life and seeing things as an artist, so I wouldn't change it for the world. Who cares if people think I'm hippy dippy or a crazy artist living out here in the woods!